The present invention relates generally to releasably attachable or repositionable components capable of altering the appearance of liquid crystal displays in electronic devices, and more specifically to repositionable, releasably attachable, or interchangeable front polarizers and to exchangeable liquid crystal display modules.
Electronic devices that include electronic displays for conveying information to a viewer have become nearly ubiquitous. Mobile phones, handheld computers, electronic games, car stereos and indicators, public displays, automated teller machines, in-store kiosks, home appliances, computer monitors, etc., are all examples of devices that include information displays that people come into contact with on a daily basis. Many of these displays are liquid crystal displays, and many of the liquid crystal displays are monochromatic.
Liquid crystal displays function by taking light meant to illuminate the display, polarizing that light, selectively altering the polarization state of the light using liquid crystal materials, and then analyzing the light with a front polarizer. Light that is transmitted to the front polarizer with a polarization state that is aligned with the transmission axis of the front polarizer is passed by the polarizer, thereby generating a bright spot. Light that is transmitted to the front polarizer with a polarization state that is not aligned with the transmission axis of the front polarizer is at least partially blocked, and may be fully blocked, by the front polarizer, thereby generating a darker spot, or a black spot. Each spot is generally referred to as a pixel. Taken together, the pixels form an image that can display information to a viewer.
The present invention adds a whole new dimension to stylizing and customizing the appearance and/or functionality of liquid crystal displays (LCDs) for electronic devices. In the present invention, one or more polarizers can be used to add or alter displayed background and/or character colors, provide for image inversion, and produce a number of other visual or optical effects that give liquid crystal displays different appearance characteristics. According to the present invention, polarizers, or articles that include a polarizer, can be interchanged and/or repositioned relative to the liquid crystal display module to readily achieve different display appearances for the same electronic device. Interchangeable polarizers of the present invention can be front polarizers and/or rear polarizers. Also according to the present invention, electronic devices can have interchangeable display modules to allow for different display appearances and/or functionalities.
An implication of providing a releasably attachable or repositionable front polarizer for the LCD of an electronic device is that the LCD module provided with the device is preferably provided without the front polarizer that is normally adhered to its front surface. As such, a front polarizer is to be separately disposed between the display and the viewer in order for the display to be viewable. The present invention provides such a front polarizer as a releasably attachable or repositionable item. Because the present invention contemplates de-coupling the front polarizer from the LCD module, there is an opportunity to alter the display appearance by exchanging or repositioning front polarizer elements. By using differently colored polarizers, differently oriented polarizers, patterned polarizers, tiltable or rotatable polarizers, and the like, the display appearance can be readily altered according to preference, performance, fad, or whim. Along with color changes and image reversal, functional characteristics such as display contrast, brightness, and privacy viewing can also be desirably altered or added.
Releasably attachable front polarizers can create a new market for display polarizers and LCD customization. By selling front polarizers as items separate from the displays for which they are intended to be used, and by marketing front polarizers as exchangeably attachable articles that can alter display appearance, end user preference and demand can directly drive and impact available display styles and performance characteristics. In contrast, giving consumers the ability to choose display styles without de-coupling front polarizers from displays would entail making and keeping an inventory of a large number of different display modules, in some cases before market information is gathered as to which styles are more popular. This would be an expensive proposition, and one that electronic device makers are probably not inclined to pursue. The present invention creates a unique opportunity to offer display stylization options because a large variety of different front polarizers can be made relatively quickly and easily, and can be inventoried much more cheaply than display modules or whole electronic devices.
The present invention also provides the ability to interchange display modules in an electronic device. Display modules can be removed and interchanged for display appearance customization, and can also be removed and interchanged for display function customization and display upgrading as new display technologies emerge. This can all be accomplished while keeping the core electronics, power source, and housing that make up the electronic device.
In one aspect, the present invention provides an electronic device that includes a liquid crystal display module for selectively altering a polarization of light for displaying information, and a front polarizer repositionably attached to the electronic device so that there are two or more front polarizer positions in which the display module is viewable through the front polarizer.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a front lit liquid crystal display that includes a liquid crystal display module for selectively altering a polarization of light, a front polarizer positioned between the liquid crystal display module and a viewer position, and a front light positioned between the front polarizer and the liquid crystal display module, the front light capable of illuminating the liquid crystal display module so that light emitted by the front light enters the liquid crystal display module, is polarized, and returns back through the liquid crystal display module for selective polarization alteration.
In still another aspect, the present invention provides a kit that includes a handheld electronic device comprising a liquid crystal display module capable of being operated in reflective mode, with the proviso that the liquid crystal display module does not include a front polarizer so that images displayed by the display module are not readily discerned by the naked eye, and an article adapted for wearing by a viewer so that the article can be positioned between the viewers eyes and the liquid crystal display module, the article comprising a polarizer oriented so that its transmission axis allows viewing of the display module through the polarizer.